Schooling a Genius
by Jenna Cassie Herdz
Summary: When a new agent joins the team, reasearching a book on the BAU, sparks fly between the feiry red head and the adorably awkward genius while the team solves cases. However, Kaitlyn finds it a little difficult to focus on her book with Spencer around.
1. Meet the Linguist

**A/N:** welcome to my first Criminal Minds fanfic! yay! i don't own anything to do with it, only the new characters are mine. i'll try to come up with as many Reid Moments, as i like to call them, when he goes all genuis on us, but it'll be difficult, considering i'm not a genius. however, i will try! and without further adue, the story! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Meet the Linguist**_

_San Diego, California_

"Kelly! Come on!" one girl laughed as she tugged on the blonde's arm to drag her from the door way. "You need some fun in your life!"

"I have enough fun on my own," she grinned, pulling her arm away. "I don't feel like going out tonight anyway. Don't you watch the news? There's weird things going on out there!"

"Not where _we're_ going," the other girl grinned, trying to catch Kelly's hand again. "Come _on_!"

"No!" Kelly laughed, pulling her hand away one more time. "I'm going inside now. Be careful! Have a good time!"

"Your loss!" the girl called, sauntering away and waving a good bye to the blonde as she pulled her keys from her purse to open the door.

"Not hardly," she muttered, opening the door into the dark living room.

She sighed, shutting the door behind her and moved to flip on the light but a hand caught her wrist and another hand clamped over her mouth as she screamed into the gloved hand as her eyes shot wide in terror.

* * *

_Quantico, Virginia_

Derek laughed, softly as he leaned back in his chair, JJ shaking her head at him in hopelessness as she stood behind him while he quietly tossed paper clips at a sleeping Spencer, missing several times as Emily sat on the edge of the desk with a cup of coffee, watching the scene. A paper clip finally hit Spencer on the nose, making him jolt awake and nearly fall from his seat as the other three chuckled, Spencer sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey, what's got you sleepin' on the job?" Derek asked, sitting up in his chair as well. "Late night with a hot date?"

"Hardly," Spencer replied, leaning over to pick up the paper clips around his desk and ignoring the entertainment the three had chosen at his expense. "More like a restless sleep."

"Having nightmares again?" JJ asked, picking up a file she'd set down earlier on Derek's desk and stepping around it to head toward Spencer.

"Not really," he admitted, placing the paper clips on his desk and beginning to line them up on the surface in boredom then shrugged, "Just one of those nights, I guess."

"Never thought Dr. Spencer Reid would have 'one of those nights'," Emily smiled, jokingly as she stood as well to walk toward her own desk.

"First time for everything," Derek smirked but Spencer's mind was elsewhere as everyone got back to work.

The cause of his restless night was a mystery to him, and even though he knew the chances of accurately predicting the future were impossible, scientifically, he had an odd feeling that _something_ was coming. He wasn't sure if it would be good or bad, but he had a feeling…

"Guys?"

The four looked up to see Hotch waving them toward the briefing room, and they all stood to follow him. Once inside they noticed Garcia, Rossi and an unfamiliar red-head were at the table, the red-head hurriedly arranging files and papers on the desk as Rossi relaxed in a chair and Garcia helped her where she could. When the other five entered, the red-head's emerald gaze shot up, her ponytail whipping around her head to let the end rest on her shoulder and she quickly stood tall, straightening out her cream colored pants suit and shoving the ponytail back behind her again.

"Team, this is Agent Kaitlyn Urran," Hotch introduced as he shut the door behind Spencer, the last to enter the room. "She's an FBI linguist doing some research for a book on the BAU. She may help us out a little on our cases, and she's brought one with her from California."

"It's nice to meet you all," Kaitlyn smiled, brightly as she stepped around the table with an outstretched hand. "I've already met Agents Rossi, Garcia and Hotchner. I'm glad to meet the rest of the team so soon."

She shook their hands, starting with Derek as they told her their names and ending with Spencer. After shaking his hand, Kaitlyn continued grinning at him as he stared at her, and she lifted a hand to tuck a piece of stray hair behind her ear.

"Since you've brought this case for us, why don't you conduct the briefing?" Hotch suggested, breaking the trance Spencer and Kaitlyn seemed to be in, and she nodded, her grin shrinking to a sweet smile as she headed to the front of the room, the rest of the team taking their places around the table.

"Got some drool on your chin, kid," Derek joked as he sat next to Spencer who shot his wide-eyed gaze at the man before giving him a slight glare and looking away to watch Kaitlyn hurriedly gather some papers into her hands.

"Alright," Kaitlyn sighed, shaking her side-swept bangs from her vision and looking to each face around her as she began explaining the case. "In the last few weeks there have been three women found on three different beaches in San Diego. Tatiana York, Valerie Xavier and Jasmine Steale, all with dyed hair and all dressed in the same type of white dress."

She turned to the screen behind her and clicked the remote to show pictures of the crime scene as the team started flipping through the files in front of them. The pictures showed the women in white sundresses lying in the sand, their arms at their sides, stretched out in the sand, but something was obviously similar in each of the pictures.

"Their wrists had ligature marks from being bound, and he chose to dye their hair red," Kaitlyn explained. "There are some defense wounds on the hands, and traces of skin in their teeth. They didn't go without a fight. Bruises and contusions around the legs suggest the victims were raped and it was proven by autopsy."

"Look at the way the hands are positioned," Emily immediately pointed out, examining one of the photos. "They're facing upwards. They were obviously posed that way."

"And why would he dress them in white?" Spencer wondered. "White is most commonly viewed as the color of purity, but he raped his victims."

"And why dye their hair?" Derek brainstormed as well.

"Red hair is an important color to him," Hotch chimed in before looking to Kaitlyn and asking, "What were the victim's natural hair colors?"

"All blonde," Kaitlyn replied, promptly pressing a button on the remote to change the pictures on the screen to photos of the victims when they were alive.

"Easy to dye red," JJ observed.

"The first victim was twenty, the next was twenty-two and this last one was twenty-five," she added.

"Our flight leaves in an hour," Hotch announced, standing and still holding onto the file. "We'll finish brainstorming there. Garcia, I want you to check up on any missing persons reports were filled in the past three weeks in San Diego. Also, get some aerial views of the crime scenes."

"On it, Sir," she nodded as everyone else stood and Kaitlyn began gathering her things while the team started heading out of the room.

"You did a good job with that," Hotch complimented as Kaitlyn pulled her papers closer and smiled brilliantly at him.

"Thank you, Sir," she nodded as the two headed toward the door. "I don't think I have to tell you how nervous I am. I mean, I'm a linguist. The closest I've gotten to a dead body are those pictures."

"Hopefully you won't have to see any in person," he sympathized. "But if we get any more bodies, just let anything you feel hit you there and then. If you need a minute, take it and move on."

"I hope I don't have to take that advice, Sir," she agreed as he held the door open for her. "I'll get my stuff together as quickly as I can, Sir."

"We have an hour," he reminded her and before she walked away completely he added, "I think you'll fit in here, Miss Urran."

"Call me Kate," she smiled over her shoulder, still walking. "And thank you again, Sir."

"Call me Hotch."

* * *

_A man reserves his true and deepest love not for the species of woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for that one in whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy_

_-Editor George Jean Nathan_

"These girls were missing for at least two weeks before their bodies were found," Derek noticed as the team sat in the jet headed for San Diego. "He spends time with them."

"A _needy_ sexual sadist," Rossi muttered, flipping through the file.

"He obviously likes red heads," Emily blurted. "Think he dyes their hair before or _after_ he kills them?"

"Before," Spencer voiced. "The dye line around the scalp is almost completely faded." He examined the pictures a little more and voiced, "What I can't figure out is why he dresses them in _white_ dresses. White is a color of purity. He's already raped them, so they're not pure anymore."

"Maybe they are to _him_," Kaitlyn suddenly brainstormed and all eyes shot to her as she flipped through a file herself, not noticing them staring at her. "I've noticed that even after the crime, rape victims can still have a sort of strange innocence to them. Maybe he saw that? And the way the victims' hair is spread out around their heads like halos, the hands palm-up and slightly spread to the sides…" She held up a picture of one of the victims to examine it a little closer. "It seems like they're angelic to him."

She suddenly felt their eyes on her and she looked up at them with wide eyes darting to each person before swallowing and clearing her throat, a blush coming to her cheeks when she noticed Spencer staring a little too intently at her.

"I-It's just a theory of course," she sputtered. "Just my own ramblings-"

"It's a plausible theory," Hotch interrupted. "It may point to a religious motive."

"Any theories are welcome, no matter how outrageous they may seem," JJ smiled reassuringly and Kaitlyn nodded with a smile as well, glancing to Spencer who was still staring at her.

"Garcia should have results for us when we get to San Diego," Hotch explained. "We'll have more to work with when we get there in a half hour. Rossi, Emily, Derek, I want you to take Kaitlyn to the crime scene with you. JJ, Reid, and I will go to the local police station." He nodded to Kaitlyn, saying, "Nice work, Kate."

"Thanks, Hotch," she smiled with a nod before looking back at the file, sitting in a seat facing into the plane, Spencer next to her as the rest of the team closed the file and turned to relaxing. Spencer cleared his throat as he glanced at Kaitlyn, shifting to sit closer to her, cautiously but she didn't look up from the file.

"You probably shouldn't look over it too much," he suggested, making her look up at him with wide, emerald eyes. He swallowed when their gazes met before hesitantly continuing, "If you concentrate on it too much it could crowd your subconscious and keep you from taking in any other information that might be useful."

Kaitlyn glanced at the file before closing it and smiling at Spencer with a nod, saying, "Thanks for the advice. I just wanted to memorize the details for my book."

"What format are you using for your book, if you don't mind me asking?" he wondered as Kaitlyn turned to rummage through her book bag which sat between them.

"I'm writing it as I go, while it's still fresh in my mind," she explained, pulling out a notebook. "I do it that way instead of an outline. I just touch it up later."

"First person?" he wondered as she opened the notebook and he shifted a little closer to look at what she had so far.

"Yes," Kaitlyn nodded, clicking her mechanical pencil and beginning to write. "I find it has a bit more impact when I write it in first person for the reader. They get to be injected into the material."

"Have you written other books?"

"Under pseudonyms," she nodded, still writing.

"Anything I might have read?" he asked, and neither one of them noticed Emily and Derek looking at them in amused curiosity.

Kaitlyn gave a small frown of thought as she lifted her head from writing and leaned back, Spencer still looking at her expectantly before she replied, "I don't know. They're nothing like this one. They're science fiction." She looked at him and smiled, "Read any sci-fi lately?"

"Actually, I just finished a book called The Reality of Illusion by Karylin Rutan," Spencer began.

"Really?" Kaitlyn smiled knowingly, leaning a little closer to him. "Was it any good?"

"Actually, it was really interesting to think that two people can be connected through dreams and fall in love through them. I don't really believe in dream analysis, but the twist on it was…Why are you looking at me that?"

"Put Karylin Rutan and Kaitlyn Urran side-by-side in your mind," she smiled as he frowned in wonder then did what she asked and soon looked at her with wide eyes as he sat up a little straighter and she gave a small giggle.

"_You're_ Karylin Rutan," he breathed and she gave a big nod, still smiling.

"I have to admit, that name is cooler than my _actual_ name," she frowned slightly before smiling again and shifting closer to ask, "So you really thought it was good?"

"I did," he nodded. "Scientifically it could never happen, but it was enjoyable reading."

"Hence the genre, science _fiction_," she smiled, sweetly. "How long did it take you to read?"

"Twenty minutes," Spencer nodded and Kaitlyn's eyes shot wide at him in absolute shock making Emily and Derek snicker as they watched the scene unfold and drew their attention for a moment before they looked back at each other.

"It took you twenty minutes to read my book…cover to cover?" Kaitlyn asked, still in astonishment.

"You haven't figured out by now that he's a genius?" Emily finally chimed in as Derek chuckled, reading over a magazine while Kaitlyn and Spencer turned to the brunette.

"That's obvious," she smiled at Emily before looking at Spencer and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Rossi told me you had three PhDs. You _have_ to be a genius to have _three_ of those, right?"

"I guess," Spencer replied, hesitantly and changed the subject by asking, "Your book really was good. It's one of my favorite books."

"I'm flattered," Kaitlyn smiled, now twirling the piece of hair she'd tucked behind her ear. "I've never met a fan."

Spencer cleared his throat and gave a tight smile before pulling his briefcase onto his lap and opened it to flip through the papers in it, making Kaitlyn giggle as he fumbled through his actions. She decided to get back to her book, still smiling as she sat forward and began writing.

Emily and Derek watched the two sit for a moment before Kaitlyn gave a small sigh and sat up straight, catching Spencer's attention but she didn't notice him look at her as she pulled the rubber band from her hair to let her ponytail down. The two watching them held back their chuckles as Kaitlyn shook her red hair out a bit while Spencer stared at her, swallowing hard when she leaned over her notebook to write again. He quickly looked back to what he was looking or in his briefcase when she glanced at him, and smiled while Emily and Derek shook their heads.

This was going to be fun to watch.

* * *

**A/N:** if i get stuff wrong, i'm sorry, i try my best. anywhos...reviews?


	2. A Quick Lead

**A/N:** new chappie! and this'll be updated soon cuz i got on a roll! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 2: A Quick Lead**_

_Imperial Beach  
__San Diego, CA_

Kaitlyn stumbled for the fifth time in the sand before finally leaning over and taking her heels off to carry them as she, Rossi, Emily and Derek trudged through the sand toward a part of the beach roped off with yellow crime scene tape.

"He obviously _wanted_ these bodies to be found," Rossi noticed. "She was found close to the water, but not too close so the tide would drag her out to sea."

"The other two crime scenes were like this," Kaitlyn reported as she noticed one of the officers approaching them. "Del Mar and Mission beaches are pretty open."

"You must be from the BAU," the officer guessed, holding his hand out to shake Rossi's. "Officer Neil Valentine. The Captain sent me here to meet you." His gaze fell on Kaitlyn and his sapphire eyes widened under a few strands of loose auburn hair. "Kaitlyn?"

She shot her gaze to him in wide-eyed wonder from looking at the yellow tape waving in the wind and she grinned widely.

"Neil! How are you?" she smiled, holding a hand to him but he by-passed it for a hug, which she hesitantly returned.

"It's great to see you!" he smiled, stepping away.

"Hey, Kate?" Derek urged and she shot her gaze to the three next to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, stepping back from Neil completely and explaining, "Neil and I go way back. We went to the same schools as kids." She turned back to Neil and smiled, "We'll catch up later."

He nodded, still smiling and Emily gestured to the tape, asking, "Is that where the body was found?"

"Yeah," Neil nodded, waving them to follow him as he turned toward the tape.

"I'm sorry about that," Kaitlyn murmured to the three. "We haven't seen each other in ages."

"He seemed _really_ happy to see you," Emily smirked and Kaitlyn's eyes widened at her before she turned to face the crime scene.

"Well, he really couldn't have picked a better spot," Derek noticed as they crossed under the tape. "This being a beach, it makes it almost impossible to make out _his_ tracks from anyone else's."

"Who found her?" Rossi asked Neil.

"The lifeguard on morning duty," he replied. "He said he was out here at the crack of dawn and saw a shape in the sand just short of the tide. He thought it was a pile of seaweed or something."

"Little did he know…" Rossi murmured to himself, kneeling next to the imprint the victim's body made in the sand. "He didn't move her or touch the body at all?"

"Nope," Neil chirped, glancing to Kaitlyn once in a while but she only wrote rapidly in the notebook she was holding. "Soon as he saw it was a body he called the cops."

"Did she live around here?" Derek asked Neil.

"No," Neil replied with a shake of his head. "She was staying in the hotel up the beach."

"Think you can get us into her hotel room?" Rossi asked and Neil nodded.

"The hotel's this way," he said and as the group headed in the direction he'd gestured, he waited to walk next to Kaitlyn, his hands behind his back as she concentrated on walking and writing. "So, you're FBI now, huh?"

Kaitlyn shot wide emerald eyes at him with a slight start and smiled, "Oh, yeah. After all the language classes I took in college I figured I'd put them to good use."

"So, you've been hiding yourself there, huh?" Neil smirked. "I tried looking you up but you weren't registered anywhere. I couldn't even find an email address, let alone a phone number."

"One of the perks is the privacy," she smiled. "Nobody gets my information unless _I_ want them to have it."

"Good thing I'm not on your do not call list, right?" Neil smirked and Kaitlyn giggled.

"Yeah," she replied.

"So…" he trailed off and quickly stepped ahead of her to swing in front of her, stopping them as he asked, "Does that mean I can have your number?"

Kaitlyn stared at him for a moment before shaking her shock away and bringing herself back to reality to say, "Uh, can I finish up this case before I do that? I mean, I'd love to just give it to you right now, but-"

"No, I get it," Neil smiled, charmingly. "I know how it is. We better catch up with the other agents."

She smiled gratefully but widened her eyes at him in shock when he took her hand in his and pulled her toward Derek, Prentiss and Rossi.

_Oh, lord, I think I know where this is going_, she thought to herself as they all met on the street across from the hotel and Neil finally let go of her hand to lead the way. _I thought he was over this already?_

* * *

_San Diego PD_

"Oh that was just…not fun," Kaitlyn sighed as she, Emily, Derek and Rossi stepped into the building.

"It _looked_ fun," Derek smirked. "He an old boyfriend?"

"He wishes," Kaitlyn sighed again, tossing her hair from her face.

"He certainly was smooth," Emily teased.

"Oh, yes," Kaitlyn chuckled. "It's not the _first_ time, either." She imitated Neil's earlier move on the beach to step in front of the three and say, "'Kaitlyn, can I have your number?'" She continued walking backwards, not watching where she was going. "'Kaitlyn, will you go out with me?' 'Kaitlyn-?'"

"Heads up, Reid!" Rossi called, making Kaitlyn frown and spin around only to gasp and slam into Spencer, sending them both to the floor and Kaitlyn's papers scattering over its surface.

"You guys ok?" Emily couldn't help but chuckle at seeing the two of them stare at each other in wide eyed shock and moved to help Kaitlyn pick up her papers.

"Y-Yeah," Spencer sputtered before swallowing, not looking away from the red-head in front of him. "I am. You ok, Kaitlyn?"

"Yeah," she nodded, suddenly brought back to reality when Emily shuffled papers next to her. "Oh, jeez! Thanks Emily." She took the papers from the brunette's hands and told the others, "You go on and report to Hotch. I'll catch up with you later."

The three headed into the office as Kaitlyn started picking up her papers, not noticing Spencer doing the same to help her. They shuffled closer and closer to each other until they were both reaching for the last paper, their fingers grazing before they both pulled back as if burned to stare at each other with wide eyes.

"Oh, Spencer!" she breathed, quickly grabbing the paper from the floor before they both stood. "You didn't have to help me."

"Well, I _did_ run into you," he replied, holding out the stack of papers he'd accumulated. "I figured I should help you pick up the papers I made you drop."

"Thanks," she smiled, taking the stack and she bunched them with her other papers, noting to herself to rearrange them later. "And I'm pretty sure _I_ was the one who wasn't watching where she was going. So really, it's my own fault."

"Walking backwards _does_ heighten your chances of ramming into somebody, but not by much," Spencer replied flatly and Kaitlyn giggled, making Spencer look back at her with a frown as they reached the office door and he leaned forward to open it, asking, "What's so funny?"

"The way you said that," she shrugged, still smiling. "So matter-of-factly. It's kinda cute."

Spencer's frown deepened as she passed him in the doorway and he followed her to one of the desks.

"Did you find anything in the hotel room?" Hotch asked.

"The desk clerk said the victim only left the room a few times," Rossi explained. "She doesn't remember her leaving the room the night she was found though."

"So he kept her in her room the entire time?" another man in a suit guessed, leaning on the cabinet on the other side of the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It would appear so," Hotch replied then introduced him. "Everyone, this is Captain Brent Stone. He's the one that invited us on this investigation."

"Good to meet you all," he nodded, his green-hazel eyes scanning over the new faces, quickly as Derek answered his phone.

"Talk to me, Baby Girl," he spoke into the phone. "But behave, you're on speaker."

"_Oh, fine_," Penelope muttered playfully from the phone. "_My pets, I've looked up a few missing persons reports, and I got a hit on one that matches the freak's type. Her name is Kelly Ellis, and she's been missing almost a week, now_."

"Kelly Ellis?" Captain Stone frowned in wonder, and all eyes turned to him before he explained, "She lives around here. She's one of the deputy's daughters."

"He could have her there right now if he keeps them in their homes or hotel rooms," Emily voiced what the others were thinking.

"Thanks, Garcia," Derek said quickly as Hotch signaled everyone out of the room and spoke to the captain.

"How far away is she?" he asked.

"Only a half hour," Stone replied as the group hurried out the door. "She got a place of her own when she tuned twenty-one a few months ago."

"You think they'll still be there?" Kaitlyn wondered to Hotch as they all hurried out the door and toward the exit of the station. "Being that close to the station, he may take her somewhere else."

"Maybe, but it's a lead," Hotch nodded. "You should stay here with JJ."

"Sir?" Kaitlyn asked, stopping and Hotch turned as she frowned at him.

"If we meet with him, he may switch his attentions straight to _you_," Hotch explained, making her frown deepen before he explained, "Because you're a _natural_ red-head, Kaitlyn."

* * *

_Kelly Ellis's House_

The team grouped around Kelly's body, blood pooling on the floor around her newly died red hair, her white sundress stained red with flecks of blood.

"That was fast," Derek observed, kneeling next to her. "He only had her for one week."

"Long enough to get what he wanted before he knew we were onto him," Hotch replied as Spencer suddenly felt at his pocket as his phone began buzzing.

"She's been shot in the head," Rossi noticed. "He's acting out of desperation now because he knows we're closing in on him."

"How could he know?" Emily wondered. "We haven't even gotten a profile out yet."

"Hello?" Spencer spoke into his phone as he stepped out the front door again.

"_I'm __dying__ over here!_" Kaitlyn groaned on the other side of the phone. "_Did you get him?_"

"No," he sighed, slightly. "We found Kelly Ellis's body."

"_Oh, God_," Kaitlyn breathed. "_I thought he kept them for two weeks before killing them_."

"He probably knows we're onto him now, being so close to the police station," Spencer explained. "His MO changed too. He shot her in the head this time. But her hair's been dyed and she's wearing the same type of dress the others were."

"Who is that?" Hotch asked, suddenly right behind him and Spencer whirled around with wide eyes filled with surprise.

"It's Kaitlyn," he replied.

"Let me talk to her," Hotch ordered, holding a hand up to take the phone and Spencer placed it in his hand. The team leader placed the phone to his ear and called, "Kaitlyn?"

"_Yes, Sir?_" Kaitlyn replied, immediately recognizing Hotch's voice.

"Ask around the station to see if they told anyone anything about the murders," Hotch instructed. "Then tell JJ to hold the press off if they get there as long as she can. The profile will be ready by four. Got it?"

"_Consider it done, Hotch_," Kaitlyn replied, and Hotch gave the phone back to Spencer before heading back to the house.

Spencer frowned at Hotch's back before pulling the phone up to his ear again to call, "Kaitlyn?"

"_I'm here_," she replied. "_We'll talk when you get back to the station, alright?_"

"Ok," he frowned still, then couldn't help but ask, "You just called to find out what happened?"

"_Of course!_" Kaitlyn chirped, then giggled before adding, "_And__ I wanted to hear that cute tone of voice you get you're explaining stuff. If I just wanted details I would've called Morgan or Prentiss._"

Spencer frowned as his mouth opened and closed a few times, making him look like a fish out of water.

"_Don't try to figure it out, Spence,_" she warned. "_Women are mysterious creatures that do equally strange things. I'll see you later, ok?_"

"Sh-Sure," Spencer still frowned before the click in his ear told him she'd hung up and he hung up as well.

"Got game, huh, Reid?" Derek smirked, coming up next to him and slapping his shoulder making the younger man grunt from the impact before he looked to him. "You know what they about dipping your pen in the company ink."

"I'm not dipping anything _anywhere_," Spencer replied. "And I don't really have any 'game.' _She_ called _me_."

"That's how it starts," Derek shrugged. "Trust me, I've seen the way she looks at you. You're a _profiler_. This shouldn't be news to you."

"I thought we made a rule against profiling people we worked with," Spencer recalled.

"She's _temporary_," Derek insisted. "She doesn't count."

"Morgan! Reid! Come on!" Rossi called from the door of the house and the two men turned to head back to the scene.

"I'm tellin' ya, kid," Derek continued. "She's got a little thing for you. And it looks like you're smitten too."

"Again…aren't we _not_ supposed to profile each other?"

* * *

_San Diego PD_

"The man we're looking for is a white male, possibly in his late twenties to early thirties," Hotch announced to the room full of officers, the rest of the team with him as they presented the profile.

"He won't look at many women, because he's afraid of rejection," Rossi continued. "He's an angry, brooding, self-pitying loner, but even so, he'd be well liked by his workmates and people around the town."

"He possibly had connections within law enforcement or the press," Derek picked up. "Or, he could just be very smart and observant by the way he realized we were onto him so quickly. He would have a steady job, mediocre lifestyle and home."

"His job would most likely be something that allows him to build himself up physically," Emily continued. "Because he attacked and strangled these women on his own, with his bare hands, he's obviously physically fit. He would be able to restrain them easily, even if they put up a fight."

"Because he dyes the victim's hair red, he would be attracted to red-heads and may allow himself to leer openly if he spotted one," Spencer explained. "And, because all the victims were blondes he may allow himself to glance at them once in while, just to see they fit his needs when he's looking for a new victim."

"Remember, he knows we're onto him," JJ chimed in. "Your observations of the people around you will need to be discreet or he'll spook enough to leave town. Absolutely none of this is to reach the press. Keep all of this to yourselves until we are able to find him, and if you come into contact with him, call one of us _immediately_."

Captain Stone dismissed his men and stepped toward the group as Kaitlyn sat at one of the desks, writing rapidly in her notebook. She hardly noticed Neil slide next to her and just stare at her with an intense blue stare. She suddenly felt herself being watched and looked up at him, only to jump back when she came inches from his face.

"Sorry," Neil chuckled as she tried to catch her breath from the start. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," she sighed. "I just didn't expect you to be so…close."

"I hear you guys went to that Ellis girl's house," he said, trying to strike up a conversation before she turned back to writing. "You find anything?"

"Didn't find the unsub there, if _that's_ what you mean?" Kaitlyn replied, not looking from her notebook. "And _I_ didn't go with them. Hotch told me to stay here."

"Good," Neil nodded, slipping his hand onto hers and she froze as her emerald gave looked to his hand. "You wouldn't need to see a dead body anyway. It's not pretty."

"Y-Yeah…" Kaitlyn sputtered, not knowing whether she should move her hand or let him hold it.

"Kaitlyn?"

The couple looked up to see Spencer standing in front of them.

"Hotch wanted me to come get you," he explained. "We're gonna go over some things-"

"Oh, sure," Kaitlyn nodded, closing her book with one hand and sliding her mechanical pencil behind her ear. "Right behind you."

She stood, but found Neil's grip on her hand had suddenly tightened, almost painfully on her wrist. She looked down at him in wide-eyed wonder to see him glaring at Spencer who only stared back at him with a slight frown.

"Neil, you're hurting me," she murmured, jerking his attention back to her and he hesitantly let go of her hand before standing as well, his eyes cast down at the desk.

"Sorry," he muttered, and turned to walk away, making Kaitlyn frown at his back.

"What was _that_ about?" Spencer wondered, neither one moving as Kaitlyn still stared at Neil who stopped at the water fountain across the room to take a drink.

"I don't know," she breathed, and couldn't help but wonder if she wanted to or not.

* * *

**A/N:** i hope this isn't going too fast. after watching almost all the episodes i still can't remember all the aspects of every case so if i skip stuff they should've done i'm sorry. reviews?


	3. Sting

**A/N:** told you it'd be quick! new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Sting**_

The team mulled over their files, trying to find the connection between the victims. They'd been at it for at least an hour before JJ suddenly spoke up, remembering something.

"Tatiana's mother said she took a morning jog along the shore of Del Mar beach, where she was found," she explained. "Valerie Xavier's sister said she took her dog to the beach to play Frisbee with him at Mission beach in the afternoon where _her_ body was found, and Jasmine's parents said she surfed every Saturday at Imperial beach."

"So he leaves their bodies where watched them before the attack," Rossi observed. "He sees the one he likes, watches her for a few days then makes his move, and after he's finished, he put them back where he found them."

"So the connection is the beaches," Kaitlyn noticed. "But it's a different beach every time. How do we know where he'll go next?"

"Garcia?" Hotch called to the phone in the center of the desk. "You got those aerial views of the beaches, right?"

"_Yes, my Liege_," Garcia replied, and you could hear typing in the background as she said, "_They should be coming up your computer screen now_."

Spencer looked to the laptop on the desk in front of him to see a few pictures flash before him before the images settled on one and Spencer leaned forward to examine the screen.

"It looks like he was moving southward," he observed. "But, there aren't any more beaches in the San Diego region after Imperial."

"Would he go back northward, you think?" Emily wondered, leaning next to him to look at the screen as well.

"Possibly, if he has no where else to go," Spencer replied.

"Which beach is above Imperial?" Derek asked, sitting next to Kaitlyn across from Spencer.

"Coronado," the doctor replied.

"Alright, we'll set up a sting then," Hotch suggested, looking to the police captain. "Do you have any officers that look like they could be natural red-heads?"

"I have a few blondes that wouldn't mind dying their hair," Captain Stone replied. "Does it really matter?"

"He's starting to lose it," Hotch replied. "If he killed Kelly Ellis this quickly it most likely means he's not satisfied with pretending they're red-heads anymore and wants the real thing. The decoy will have to be a red-head."

"I'll do it."

All eyes shot to Kaitlyn as she looked up at Hotch, seriously.

"Don't look so frightened," she smirked. "I've done this sort of thing before."

"This isn't training, Bright Eyes," Derek chimed in, shooting her attention to him. "You could get hurt or even killed if something goes wrong."

"What? You guys don't plan on leaving me in the lurch, do you?" she smirked at him.

"This is _serious_," Spencer insisted, and she turned her attention to him as he stared wide eyes at her. "If something _does_ go wrong, and he kidnaps you, your picture could end up in one of these files."

"Not if we're on ours toes," Hotch suddenly replied, causing everyone's eyes to shoot to him again as he stepped toward the table.

"Hotch!" Spencer objected, but he wasn't able to finish the argument as the team leader leaned on the table toward the phone to give instruction to Garcia.

"Garcia, go over the police reports and crime scene photos again, see if any of the same names or faces pop up in any of them."

"_Roger that Boss Man,_" she replied. "_Good luck, Kate_."

"Thanks, Pen," Kaitlyn called before Garcia hung up.

"Alright," Hotch nodded to Kaitlyn as he stood tall. "Let's get you briefed and ready to go to the beach."

* * *

_The Next Morning..._

"What do you do when you think you've spotted him?" Spencer asked, adjusting the wire under the green knit scarf around Kaitlyn's neck.

"I say the signal phrase," Kaitlyn replied.

"Which is?"

"'What a sight for sore eyes'."

"And if he approaches you?" Spencer questioned, looking her over to make sure you couldn't see the wire or the device it was attached to under her shirt.

"I act normal until the rest of you come for me," she answered, adjusting herself to be a bit more comfortable.

"Whatever you do, don't let him take you off that beach," he warned.

"Come on, Spence, relax," she smiled, glancing down to take one of his hands into both of hers. "You're acting like an over-protective boyfriend or something. I'll be fine! The team's got my back."

Spencer couldn't find words to say as he only stared at their hands but she grinned and lowered his hand as he only stared at her. Her grin slipped down to a warm smile as she lifted a hand to place on his cheek, making his heart skip in his chest.

"You're really sweet to worry about me so much, Spence," she murmured. "Thank you."

"Just-" his voice cracked and he cleared it to try again as she giggled and lowered her hand, never taking her gaze from his. "Just don't do anything crazy, ok?"

"I'll try," she smiled, patting his chest and was about to turn to walk out of the small room but she stopped and looked back at him, making him frown in wonder. She stepped closer and stepped onto her tiptoes to place a tender kiss on his cheek, making him freeze and stare ahead in shock as she whispered, "That's for being so sweet."

The door opening made them step away as if they'd burned each other and Hotch asked, "Ready?"

Kaitlyn nodded, mutely before heading toward the door, Spencer following close behind. He'd had this odd feeling in his stomach, like something was going to go wrong, and he knew he shouldn't have lingered on it, but he just had a bad feeling. He still thought it was a _bad_ idea, and though he didn't put much stock in intuition, red flags were going up all over the place right now. Still, he kept his feelings to himself. Hotch had already made the call, and he was confident in himself and the team. Even if something _did_ go wrong, nothing extremely bad would happen to Kaitlyn with if the team had anything to say about it.

* * *

_Coronado Beach_

"God, I need to sit," Kaitlyn groaned, plopping down in the sand above the edge of the tide. She'd been walking around the beach for hours, and no one had approached her, no one looked suspicious, and hardly _anyone_ was at the beach.

"_What do you see?_" she heard Hotch's voice in her earpiece.

"A lot of seedy characters and homeless guys, but other than that, this place is _dead_," Kaitlyn replied.

"You can say _that_ again."

Kaitlyn jumped and looked up next to her to see Neil smiling down at her before he sat and sighed as he leaned back in the sand, Kaitlyn staring t him with wide eyes the whole time. She hadn't even heard him walk up.

"Nice day, isn't it?" he smiled to the horizon before turning to her still wide-eyed expression.

"Y-Yeah," she finally sputtered, then gathered her thoughts enough to ask, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm your back-up," he replied, and Kaitlyn gave a small frown. If she recalled correctly, she was supposed to be _alone_ for this one.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"What's he doing there?" Rossi asked Hotch as they and Spencer sat in one SUV near Kaitlyn's walking area, Emily and Derek in another SUV down the way. "We didn't ask Stone for back-up."

"_I wasn't supposed to have anybody with me_," Kaitlyn's voice came from the receiver as Hotch tried to get a look at what was going on from the driver's seat. They had a good view of her from where they were, and Spencer leaned forward, his fingers digging into the shoulders of the driver and passenger seats until his knuckled turned white, his eyes glued to the scene. "_Being with someone could scare him off._"

"_I can't keep you company for a while?_" Neil's voice came up this time. "_I'm so bored just __following__ you around._"

"Something's not right," Hotch mused. "Stone wouldn't have sent back-up if I told him not to."

"So he's here on his own?" Rossi frowned in wonder. "Why?"

"He's in love with her," Spencer replied, and neither one of his superiors failed to noticed the slight undertone of irritation at that fact as he said that.

"_Come on, Neil, I'm working_," Kaitlyn said. "_This is really important. If anything goes wrong, more people could be killed. Do you want that?_"

"_Of course not_," Neil replied, unenthused. "_But aren't you bored of just walking around this beach by yourself? Beaches were made for romantic strolls, not sting operations_."

"_Keep your voice down!_" Kaitlyn hissed, and Hotch's phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket.

"Hotchner," he answered, still looking out his window.

"_My Liege_," Garcia greeted. "_I found ran the police reports like you told me to, and one name pops up in each or them. Officer Neil Valentine is __always__ the first officer to respond to the call, except for Kelly Ellis's murder_."

"Because he's the closest," Hotch theorized before thanking Penelope and hanging up the phone to look to his colleagues as they looked to him expectantly. "Valentine is our unsub."

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"Neil, seriously," Kaitlyn pleaded. "You _have_ to go."

Neil sighed and let his head lull back on his shoulders to look up at the sky as Kaitlyn gave a small frown at him.

"You know, I thought about you a _lot_," he murmured, not looking at her. "I thought about what it would've been like if I'd just asked you out seriously instead of goofed around with it, ya know?"

"This isn't the time for that, Neil," Kaitlyn insisted. "We can talk about this when this case is over, ok?"

"Life is short, Kate," Neil continued, making her frown at him a little deeper as he lifted his head and looked to her, his sapphire eyes narrowing, making him look tired, or high. "When I think about those poor girls, I realize it every time. Poor Kelly, being shot in the head like that; she had it easy, but the other girls that were strangled…they suffered a _lot_."

He looked ahead again as Kaitlyn's eyes widened at him, but she suddenly recalled something she wished she had before and voiced, "We never told Captain Stone which beach we were setting the sting up in."

Neil's head slowly turned to face her as she still stared at him with wide, frightened eyes and he smirked.

"You remember what you wore the day we met?" he murmured, but didn't wait for her response before replying, "_I_ do. It was that cute little white sundress that flowed just right when a gust of wind blew through. We may have been ten, but I fell in love with you right then and there. You were the most beautiful thing I ever saw."

Kaitlyn swallowed and gave a mute nod before she realized she was in trouble. Everything was falling into place. He had a steady job, he was in his late twenties, white, and she knew him to be a loner, brooding and for whatever reason, always angry. She knew then that _he_ was the unsub.

_Use the damn phrase!_ she shouted silently at herself.

"Y-You know," she tried, making him arch an eyebrow at her, expectantly. "You were a sight for sore eyes when I saw you at Imperial beach again. I…I missed you since I left here."

"Yeah?" he replied skeptically. "That why you just used a phrase no one's used in years?"

Kaitlyn gave a fake frown, but she didn't have time to respond before he backhanded her so hard, she hit her head on the sand and was knocked unconscious. Neil glanced around, knowing he didn't have much time and picked her up in his arms to hurry in the opposite direction that Hotch and Derek had parked their SUVs, his police car waiting for him, parked on the beach.

"FBI! Stop!" Derek shouted as he was able to catch up first, the rest of the team close behind, and he stopped to take aim with his pistol as Neil hurried placed Kaitlyn into his car and got in, shutting the door.

"No! Don't!" Spencer shouted, coming up behind Derek and shoving his arms down, making the older man glare at him.

"Reid-?"

"You might hit Kaitlyn!" Spencer cut in before he Derek could scold him and the team felt utterly helpless as Neil sped away down the beach until he pulled up onto the parking lot.

"Call Garcia, have her track the car," Hotch ordered, holstering his weapon and marching back toward their cars. Derek was instantly on his phone as the rest of the team followed his lead and Emily hurried to walk next to Spencer.

"She'll be fine," she assured him, but he didn't look away from the sand under his feet as he walked.

"I should've let Morgan shoot," he muttered. "I don't know what came over me."

"You were right," Emily argued. "He _could_ have hit Kaitlyn. You made the right decision."

Spencer jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket and he hurriedly grabbed it to look at the screen. He had a text message…from Kaitlyn.

"Who is it?" Emily asked, trying to see the screen as Spencer stopped dead in his tracks.

"Guys!" he called, stopping everyone else. "Kaitlyn just texted me."

"What's it say?" Rossi asked, hurriedly stepping back to Spencer with the others as he opened the text.

"'Jet'," he read aloud and the others frowned at each other.

"Does she see one?" Derek asked.

"Are there any airfields around here?" Emily questioned as Spencer just stared at the phone. An image of Kaitlyn texting flashed through his mind, her fingers moving across the pad had been clicking multiple times on the buttons and it hit him.

"Left," he blurted, making everyone frown at him.

"What?" Rossi called, drawing Spencer's attention back to reality as he looked to his colleagues.

"She's texting directions," he explained. "I saw her texting one time, and the way she was doing it, it looked her phone was preset on ABC instead of T9 Word."

"So?" Derek shrugged. "What's that mean?"

"With T9 Word all you have to do is type in the numbers that correspond with the letters you want. It's faster. With ABC you have to hit the number multiple times in order to get the letters you want to spell out the word correctly. She's typing as if it were T9 Word, but it comes up differently. She's sending coded messages."

"But how can you be sure she means 'left' and not something else?" Emily wondered.

"She hit number three twice for 'E' and 'F'," Spencer replied, showing her the phone, and just as he did, he got another text from Kaitlyn and hurriedly opened it. "P-h-t."

"That's not even a word," Derek snapped.

"Right," Spencer announced. "She's saying he's turning right." He quickly looked away to do math in his head.

At the rate of speed Neil's car might be going, the possibilities were endless as to where he might have turned left, but given the man's panic and adrenaline levels that had probably kicked in by now, his foot would have turned to lead on the gas pedal. Factoring in the time between texts…

"Reid, come on, you can figure it out on the way back to the station," Hotch ordered as Emily pulled the still thinking Spencer along the sand to the SUVs.

* * *

**A/N:** i hope i'm doing ok with this. i'm sure they wouldn't have figured it out this fast but i was almost half asleep when i was writing this. the words just kept coming. reviews?


	4. Playing House

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Playing House**_

_San Diego PD_

Derek led Spencer from behind with his hands on his shoulders as they walked through the station. He was still trying to figure out where Neil might have taken Kaitlyn. Hotch led the team toward the room they'd been working in as JJ hurried toward them for an update.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around the group as Hotch stopped in front of her and the rest headed to the room. "Where's Kaitlyn?"

"Did you catch him?" Captain Stone wondered, heading toward them as well and Hotch glanced between him and JJ for a moment.

"We found out who he is," he replied. "But, he got away with one of our agents. He kidnapped her. Officer Neil Valentine is the unsub."

JJ's eyes shot wide in disbelief as Stone frowned in confusion, questioning, "_Neil_? He wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Well, he just kidnapped the girl he was in love with who broke his heart and just happens to be a red-head," Hotch nearly snapped at the man's objection. "What does that tell you?"

"Is Kaitlyn gonna be ok?" JJ hoped, trying to diffuse the argument.

"She's been sending coded texts to Reid," he replied. "We briefed her on what to do if this happened, so she should be alright, but we'll still have to work fast."

"Hey, Hotch."

He turned to see Derek approaching him, hanging up his phone.

"Garcia tracked the car but he went under a tunnel and she lost the signal," Derek explained. "Just as that happened, Reid got a text from Kaitlyn that said they were gonna go through a tunnel. We haven't gotten anything since then."

"If Garcia lost the signal on the car that means the phone signal will be lost, too," Hotch theorized. "She won't be able to send anymore texts if they stay underground." He thought for a moment before turning to Captain Stone and saying, "Get a team together. We'll go off of what Reid's gotten so far and work from there."

* * *

_Afternoon..._

Kaitlyn groaned as she turned from her back onto her side. She couldn't believe she'd passed out in the car once they'd crossed into the tunnel. She suddenly realized she wasn't in the car anymore, but in a bed and frowned as she sat up, the covers dropping down to her waist to reveal someone had changed her clothes. Her heart raced in panic as she looked down at the white sundress she was now wearing identical to what the victims had been wearing.

"Oh, you're awake," Neil's voice echoed slightly in the room, causing her to look up to the doorway across from the foot of the bed she was in as he stepped in. "Gorgeous, as always."

Kaitlyn moved to get out of the bed but found one of her wrists bound by a short cord to the bed post. She stared at it with wide eyes for a moment before feeling the bed shift. She jumped and looked ahead to see Neil sitting next to her legs and smiling a creepily warm smile at her.

"I couldn't have you trying to get away," he explained. "Not that you _could_, but I'd rather not take the chance, ya know?"

"Neil," Kaitlyn breathed. "Please, don't do this."

"Do what, babe?" Neil frowned slightly but still smiled.

"You don't…You don't wanna hurt me," she shuddered, feeling herself panic but trying to keep her cool as she'd been told to do.

"Of course I don't," Neil smirked with a deeper frown. "Don't be silly, sweetheart. I'm not _going_ to hurt you." He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek gently with the back of his fingers and she fought back from cringing. "You're the one I want forever." He shifted closer, placing the hand he'd touched her with next to her on the mattress to lean toward her. "Ask me to kiss you."

Kaitlyn swallowed, staring at the man she hardly knew now with wide frightened eyes. She jumped when she felt his fingers brush lightly up her bare arm to slip around the side of her neck, his thumb stroking her jaw as he pulled her a little closer to his face.

"I won't kiss you unless you ask me, Kate," he murmured, a breath away from her lips. "Ask me."

She couldn't help shuddering in terror at being so close to him now, knowing everything he'd done and _how_ he'd done it. She knew everything about this man's kills, but even though he had Neil's face, he wasn't Neil, and she knew _nothing_ about him anymore. She gasped when his fingers dug into the back of her neck impatiently and she fought back from screaming at the pain.

"Ask me!" Neil growled, his sapphire eyes burning with impatient anger, and Kaitlyn closed hers, not wanting to see him like this.

"Kiss me, Neil," she shuddered in a whisper. "I…I want you to kiss me…please."

Neil's grip loosened only slightly on her neck as he pulled her closer and she braced herself. Their lips met gently, and to her surprise, he started out very sensual as his lips moved over hers slowly and deliberately. After a moment it became a bit more frantic and Kaitlyn found herself being pushed back onto the bed, making her heart start to pound in terror. She landed on her back with Neil halfway on top of her, still kissing her as his hands moved to her waist to hold her in place.

"Neil," she muttered through the kiss, instead of stopping altogether he moved his lips to her neck to suck on it, allowing her to make a disgusted face because he couldn't see. "Neil, I-I think we should slow down a little, huh? I-I'm kind of tired from everything that's happened today."

He stopped and sighed in exasperation before lifting himself up to look at her and he nodded, agreeing, "You're right. We _both_ need rest. It's been a long day for us, and you need to get used to our new home."

"But…what if the police find us?" she breathed, acting concerned when she was actually hoping for them to be found soon.

"They won't," he smiled, closing in on her again to press feather soft kisses to her neck. "We're underground. Nobody could find us here."

"Th-That's a relief," she sputtered before he sat up and stood from the bed, starting to unbutton his shirt and her eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed, babe," he replied casually as he slipped off his shirt. "Don't worry, I'll keep my hands to myself. I want you to be comfortable and willing for our first time." He sat back down on the bed as Kaitlyn stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder. "You'll come around eventually."

Neil shifted so that he was able to lay back in the bed, pulling the covers over him and Kaitlyn tried to move over to give him room, but her bound hand attached to the bed post wouldn't allow it.

"Um, Neil," she called, meekly and he looked to her in wonder. "You know I'm not gonna go anywhere now. I think you can untie me so I can sleep."

He stared at her for a moment before smiling and leaning toward her to kiss her cheek, murmuring, "Ok, babe."

He shifted to untie her wrist and she pulled it to her when she was free, rubbing away the soreness from being bound. Neil shifted and slid his arms around her to pull her closer, making her heart race in panic, but his hands remained around her shoulders as he set his chin on top of her head.

"Better?" he wondered and she could only nod before he hugged her a little closer, murmuring, "Good."

He sighed in contentment, and though Kaitlyn knew she should try to get some sleep, not knowing what would be in store for her later, she knew at the same time that she _wouldn't_ get much sleep tonight.

"I love you, Kate," he whispered into her hair and hugging her even closer, so close she almost couldn't breathe. She didn't respond, and was grateful when he didn't urge her to before saying, "Good night, babe."

"Good night…honey," she shuddered, and Neil grinned as he hugged her again.

"You're so great," he sighed. "You'll see, babe. I'm _way_ better than that FBI doctor kid."

"Reid?" Kaitlyn frowned.

"I saw the way you looked at him when you guys were around the station," he yawned. "You like him a lot. But I'll show you who's the better man when you're ready. You'll never wanna leave this bed by the time I'm through with you."

_Please, guys_, she thought to herself. _Hurry up and get me outta here!_

* * *

_Midnight..._

Kaitlyn lay awake, eyes wide and staring at the wall as she and Neil had shifted during the night so that her back was facing him and he had an arm around her waist, his face buried in her hair. She'd been falling asleep off and on since that afternoon, but she was still tired, and still stressed. She hated Neil for sleeping so peacefully. She hated Neil for a lot of things now, but at the moment, she was focusing on the most trivial one.

She suddenly felt him shift and frowned in wonder as she turned her head to look at him but she gasped when she was suddenly shoved onto her back and staring up at Neil with wide eyes. His lips crashed down onto hers and she squeaked in surprise, instantly beginning to struggle under him, but he gripped her wrists and held them above her head in one hand as the other gripped her hip and pinned her securely to the bed.

"Neil!" she shouted, jerking her face away from his and feeling him over-powering her, scaring her beyond words. "You said-!"

"I don't care anymore," he growled against her throat as he began sucking on her neck. "I've thought about this, _dreamed_ about it, and pretended with those other girls and having you so damn close is driving me crazy! I need you _now_."

Kaitlyn struggled under him, moving her legs to lock her knees together but he maneuvered his knee between her legs to part them. She'd had enough of this. To hell with empathy and playing to his fantasy. She was _not_ about to go so far as giving herself to him.

"Get off of me you son of a bitch!" she screamed, but he didn't move from pinning her to the mattress.

There was suddenly a loud bang from the door, and Neil shot his head up to stare wide eyes at the doorway. Not hearing any of the shouting coming from the entrance, Kaitlyn yanked a hand from his grip and gripped his shoulder, shoving him off of her, but his grip hadn't loosened on her other hand and she ended up on top of him on the floor. She sat up on her knees, straddling him and without a second thought she began punching him, tears filling her eyes.

"How the hell could you do what you did?" she screamed, not hearing Derek yelling at her to stop or seeing Spencer holster his gun as he approached her. "Why would you do that? You were a good person? How could you snap like this you jerk-?"

She was cut off when Spencer pulled her off of Neil and to her feet as Derek and Hotch trained their guns on Neil as Rossi came up to roll him over and cuff him, to which he began struggling. Kaitlyn instantly spun around and shuddered against Spencer's shoulder as his arms were still around her.

"Damn jerk!" she hissed. "Why would he do this?"

Spencer opened his mouth to reply but Emily came up instantly and shook her head as she lifted a hand to rubbed back, soothingly.

"Let's get you out of this dress," she suggested and Kaitlyn nodded as she took a step away from Spencer but didn't walk completely away. She looked up at him with a smile as she quickly dried her eyes.

"I knew you'd figure out my texts," she shuddered. "It was the only way I could think to contact you. And even if he found my phone, he wouldn't have been able to make heads or tails out of it if he looked at the texts."

"That was really smart, Kaitlyn," Spencer nodded with a slight smile of assurance as Emily hugged her shoulders.

"Come on," she murmured. "Let's find you clothes."

* * *

_I hold it true, whate'er befall;  
__I feel it, when I sorrow most;  
_'_Tis better to have loved and lost  
__Than never to have loved at all  
__-Tennyson_

Kaitlyn sat leaning over her notebook on the plane ride back to Quantico, writing away as if nothing had happened as the others wound down from the case. Spencer sat next to Kaitlyn reading, Emily and JJ were chatting about something, Derek was listening to music as he stared out the window and Rossi and Hotch just sat, staring out _their_ windows.

Spencer glanced to Kaitlyn a few times before finally looking up to just stare at her. She didn't stop writing or make any other movement, but when she felt his gaze bore into the side of her head she couldn't help but respond to his stare.

"Is your book boring?" she asked, making him frown and glance at it as he still held it in his hands. "Or is there something in my hair that's caught your attention?"

"Oh…no," he sputtered, before turning back to his book.

Kaitlyn finally stopped writing and looked up at him. This time _he_ tried to ignore _her_ stare, but he looked up at her after a moment, catching her gaze.

"You're _dying_ to ask me something, I can tell," she smirked, shifting to sit closer as he frowned at her and shrunk back slightly. "Ask what you will, Boy Genius."

Spencer frowned at her for a moment longer before clearing his throat and sitting up a bit more, shutting his book and placing it on his lap.

"Are…you ok?" he finally asked, and Kaitlyn's smirk dropped as she nodded slowly, turning back to writing.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Hotch already offered me a few days off, but I don't need it. One of the hazards of the job, right?"

"Not really," Spencer corrected. "We don't get kidnapped that often. And usually not by somebody we knew or…were in love with."

Kaitlyn froze and turned a wide-eyed emerald gaze up at him as he only stared back at her emotionlessly.

"In…love with?" she breathed.

"You loved him, right?" Spencer guessed. "I could tell by the way you looked at him."

She looked away in thought before turning back to her notebook and finishing out a thought on the paper, muttering, "I _was_ in love with him. But it was a long time ago. I was over him before I even left home."

Spencer only nodded and turned back to his book, opening it up to the page he'd been on without a bookmark as Kaitlyn continued writing for a moment. She suddenly stopped and glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to her before slipping a hand into the pocket of her jeans she'd worn as a decoy for the sting and pulling out a piece of paper.

Carefully holding it out of sight of the others she stared down at the picture of herself and Neil before she'd left home. They were standing on the beach, Neil giving cheesy grin and a thumbs-up with one hand, the other on Kaitlyn's head as she had wrapped her arms around him with her head on his chest, a bright smile over her face.

A clear drop fell with a soft splat onto Neil's face before she wiped it off on her jeans and tucked it back into her pocket, giving a sharp sniffle and wiping away the sudden tears that had formed in her eyes. That picture would be the only thing that would remind her of him. Neil Valentine, her funny, happy, energetic childhood friend. _That_ was who he was and would _always_ be to her.

* * *

**A/N:** ok, so i was gonna put another quote at the end of the entire story, but i decided to do it like they do on the show where they have a quote at the beginning then at the end of the case. don't worry! this is not the end! oh no, i'm just gettin started. *evil laugh*


	5. Teasing Reid

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter **__**5: Teasing Reid**_

_Quantico, Virginia_

Kaitlyn sat at her desk, leaning over the report she had to fill out for the case and listening to her iPod. Spencer strolled toward the edge of her desk, but she didn't look up, even as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet for a moment. He watched her bob her head to music she had on for a moment before leaning over to catch her eye. She finally noticed him out of the corner of her vision and yanked one ear bud from her ear as she looked to him.

"Hi Spence," she smiled, weakly. "What's up?"

"Nobody expects you to fill out that report," he shrugged. "You've been through a lot today."

"I know," she nodded, turning back to the report but leaving the ear bud out of her ear. "I wanna get this done while it's fresh in my mind. The curse of a writer, I suppose."

Spencer nodded in understanding and was about to walk away but stopped himself and stepped closer to the desk.

"Garcia and I were gonna, go out when she was finished," he reported, catching her attention again before he shrugged, "Did you wanna come along?"

Kaitlyn smiled again and gave a small nod before saying, "Sure. I'm almost done with this. I could use a drink."

"Cool," Spencer smiled with a nod.

"Kaitlyn!"

Spencer and Kaitlyn frowned before turning to see Penelope hurrying toward them. She nearly shoved Spencer out of the way as Kaitlyn stood just in time to catch Penelope for a tight hug.

"Thank God you're alright!" the tech analyst gasped before holding a wide-eyed Kaitlyn at arms length. "We're going out…_now_. You need a drink." She turned to Spencer as he frowned in confusion at the girls before she said, "Come on, Boy Wonder."

She hooked one arm around one of Spencer's and dragged both of them toward the door, but Kaitlyn stopped her.

"Wait, at least let me get my report to Hotch!" she pleaded.

"But I thought you weren't done with it," Spencer recalled as Kaitlyn turned to her desk, pulling away from Penelope's grip to organize her desk.

"That doesn't mean I can't turn in what I _have_ finished," Kaitlyn replied, hurriedly grabbing her purse and stuffing her iPod into it before she grabbed the report and headed toward Hotch's office. Finding the door open, she cautiously stepped into the threshold and knocked softly on the door, peeking inside at Hotch sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork.

"Come in," he called, not looking from what he was writing. Kaitlyn stepped in and stood in front of his desk before he finally looked up and frowned when she set the report on his desk.

"This is the majority of my report, Sir," she explained as Hotch turned the report around to look at it, still frowning.

"I told you not to fill it out until you were ready," he recalled as Kaitlyn remained in her spot.

"I was ready," she nodded. "With all due respect, Sir, I don't like to be seen as a victim. I'd rather go on as though nothing happened. I'm honestly fine."

"None of us _like_ to be seen as a victim," Hotch replied, setting the report aside and looking up at her. "Believe me, I understand exactly how you feel. But I have to make sure you're still competent, _especially_ after a stressful case like the one we just solved. Are you sure you can keep a clear head after what's happened?"

"Yes, I can," Kaitlyn replied, without hesitation. "I bounce back quicker than most, as you can guess. I'll be sure to let you know if I need help."

"Good," Hotch nodded. "Take help from the other team members if they offer it. Sometimes it's easier to open up to friends rather than a boss."

"There's really nothing I would have explain or open up about," Kaitlyn explained. "You all know what happened."

"Just consider it," Hotch suggested. "You can finish up the report tomorrow morning. Go home and sleep the day off."

"Spencer and Penelope seem to think I need to _drink_ it off," Kaitlyn smirked. "Thank you, Sir. Good night."

"Good night, Kate," he nodded before turning back to his paperwork and the red-head turned to head out the door, meeting Spencer and Penelope at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ready?" Penelope grinned.

"Yup," Kaitlyn nodded with a smile and was about to step next to Penelope to let her take her arm, but the other red-head shoved Spencer between them, making them both frown.

"Let's go!" Penelope grinned, but stared at the two until they looked back at each other and Kaitlyn finally smiled, sliding her arm around Spencer's and the three headed toward the elevator.

* * *

_The Bar_

"Alright," Penelope chirped, twirling the straw in her drink. "I heard sparks were flying between you two. Spill."

Spencer nearly choked on his drink as Kaitlyn looked to Penelope with wide eyes in disbelief but soon looked to Spencer as he wiped his mouth and she gave a giggle.

"Where'd you hear that, Garcia?" Spencer asked as Penelope smiled, the straw of her drink between her teeth as Kaitlyn looked away, sipping at her own drink.

"You know how Derek and Prentiss talk," Penelope replied turning to Kaitlyn. "And don't pretend you didn't like having your own personal Knight in Shining Armor rescue you, Kate."

"Well, of course I did," she smiled, sending Spencer's eyes wide at her. She turned a smile to him and lifted a hand to stroke his cheek, making Penelope giggle when Spencer's eyes widened even more when she said, "And you were so sweet to worry about me."

"I…was…only worried because you could have been _killed_," Spencer replied as Kaitlyn lowered her hand, winking at Penelope.

"I'm just teasing, Spence," she giggled, taking a sip from her drink again. "Anyway, I know you'd worry just as much if it were Prentiss, JJ or even Penelope here."

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Spencer hoped, slumping in his chair in an attempt to make himself a smaller.

"Of course, darling," Kaitlyn smiled, patting his shoulder and making him look at her incredulously at her calling him 'darling.'

"You guys would make a cute couple," Penelope agreed.

"New subject, _please_?" Spencer asked again.

"Let's dance," Kaitlyn smiled, grabbing Spencer's hand and dragging him out of his chair to the dance floor.

"What—? Kaitlyn, I don't—?"

"It's ok Reid! I'll watch your drinks! Go have fun!" Penelope called, laughing as she watched Kaitlyn drag Spencer toward the floor. She spun around as they reached the thick of the crowd and pulled him close enough, grabbing his free hand to keep him close as he looked around in panic.

"Kaitlyn…" he sputtered, looking back at her. "I-I don't dance."

"Time for you to learn then, Boy Genius," Kaitlyn smiled, placing his hands on her hips. He pulled his hands away as if burned but she just as quickly pulled him back. "Come on, Spence. I'm not gonna bite."

Spencer swallowed, his eyes shifting around as Kaitlyn placed her hands on his shoulders and moved to the fast paced music. Spencer was completely out of his element. In all honesty he would have rather been sitting with Penelope than on the dance floor. But at the same time, he didn't want to leave Kaitlyn. Not only for safety reasons but because, even being out of his element, he felt more comfortable with her. So comfortable that he started getting into the music himself. Granted he wasn't Michael Jackson, but seeing Kaitlyn smile, proudly, made him happy.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Kaitlyn spun around with a frown at the deep voice but soon grinned when she and Spencer saw who it was.

"Derek!" she grinned. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Watching you try to teach Reid how to dance," Derek chuckled. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Please," Spencer blurted, nearly running off the dance floor.

Kaitlyn gave a small pout before turning to Derek and holding her arms out to him, playfully and he laughed. Spencer headed back to the table where Penelope was only to find Emily sitting with her, and both girls noticed him coming toward them.

"What's up, Reid?" Emily smiled, but instead of responding, Spencer grabbed his drink and took a long draught before nodding his hello to Emily prompting her to ask, "What happened to you?"

"Kaitlyn dragged me onto the dance floor," he explained.

"Oh, so Derek found her then?" Penelope asked. "He asked where you guys were."

"Yeah he took my place," he replied.

"To her disappointment, I'm sure," Emily smirked, taking a sip from her own drink.

"Speaking of which, why did you tell Garcia that there was something between Kaitlyn and I?" Spencer instantly questioned of Emily.

"I said nothing," Emily chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender. "I only agreed with Derek that it looked like you guys were getting along great."

"It means there's sparks," Penelope smirked, making Spencer give her a blank look as Emily laughed just as the music changed to a slow song.

"Spencer!"

He turned with a frown to see Kaitlyn and Derek heading toward them and off the dance floor. Kaitlyn instantly let go of Derek's hand and gripped Spencer's wrist to pull him toward her again.

"This one's easier to dance to! Come on!" she grinned, pulling him toward the floor again.

"Have fun, lover boy!" Derek called, taking a seat at the table just as the couple disappeared into the crowd and Kaitlyn spun around to wrap Spencer's arms around her, his eyes wider than they had been when she first took him out there.

"Why do you always look like I'm gonna hurt you?" she wondered, wrapping her arms around his neck as he swallowed, clapping his dry mouth.

"I told you Kaitlyn, I don't dance," Spencer repeated, his heart pounding in his ears.

"There's nothing to this one at all, Spence," she smiled. "You can shuffle your feet if you want."

"But—"

"Don't be scared," she smiled, lifting her hands to run them through his newly cut hair. "Nobody's even paying attention. It's just you an me."

"The others _are_ paying attention," he argued, trying to ignore her fingers stroking through his hair.

"Wow, you profilers sure are jumpy," Kaitlyn smirked, lowering her hands from resting on his shoulders and took his hand. "I'm sorry I keep teasing you."

"Actually, _your_ form of teasing is minor for me," Spencer assured her as she started pulling him back off the dance floor.

"Well, I'll try to behave from now on, I promise," she smiled.

Just as they met Penelope, Emily and Derek, Kaitlyn felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. With a frown she pulled it out to see she had a page from Hotch. She realized it was another case when the other pulled out their phones as well to look at them.

"Well, so much for the night," Derek sighed, pocketing his phone as the rest of them gathered their things and started toward the exit.

"That was fast," Kaitlyn noticed, heading out with the others. "I didn't think we got cases so quickly."

"Sometimes we do," Derek replied. "Most of the time we get a day or so before another case comes in."

"This one must be an important one then," Kaitlyn guessed, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small notebook to take down a few notes.

"We'll see," Emily replied as they trailed out the door, Spencer leading Kaitlyn gently by the arm as she wrote. "Just try not to get kidnapped this time."

Kaitlyn laughed as she put her notebook away and took Spencer's arm as they walked, making him look down at her with wide eyes but she only acted as if it were completely natural. He suddenly realized that, though she teased him, he didn't mind it so much. He had to admit, being teased by a pretty girl was actually kind of nice.

* * *

**A/N:** oh, i just can't help it! Spencer's so adorable, i _have_ to tease him a bit! reviews?


End file.
